Khuetšo ya O.K. Matsepe go bangwadi ba Sepedi

Anyone wishing to laud Matsepe for his literary ability should first turn to Ramaila who was not only one of the first writers in Sepedi, but also taught his people to read. Some of his short stories in the volume entitled Molomatsebe (1951) bear testimony to his narrative skills, particularly 'Tšhelete ya Sepoko' and 'Moloi ga a na mmala' which are complex in structure, like a detective story. Apart from the Molomatsebe collection, he also wrote other works such as Taukobong (1953), Setlogolo sa Batau (1938) and Tša Bophelo bya Moruti Abraham Serote (1935). In 1959 a volume of praise poetry was published that he had collected in the various Sepedi-speaking regions. These verses are not only of cultural historical significance but the volume is also a valuable addition to Sepedi literature. The greatest merit of the poems is found in the fact that they are authentic recitations. To the Bapedi Ramaila is a pioneer; he was the first author in Sepedi and encouraged his people to educate themselves. Ramaila had many followers of which Matsepe was the most important. In the pre-Matsepe period authors mainly wrote about the problems Blacks encountered under Whites in the cities. For this reason the 'Makgoweng motif' is often referred to in Sepedi literature. The works are generally sermonizing in tone and a moral lesson was usually included. Readers later found them very tedious, and when Matsepe appeared on the scene, he took the material for his stories from days of long ago. He, therefore, wrote about kings and heroes, and about war and hunting. Whereas stories written before were no more that short narratives, Matsepe created voluminous novels. He also wrote poetry and published six volumes, some of them of admirable quality. He was twice awarded the S. E. Mqayi prize for literature by the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (South African Academy for Science and Art). During one of these award ceremonies he said that he had become tired of the preaching by his predecessors; he intended to regale his readers with absorbing reading matter. While Ramaila taught people to read, Matsepe exposed them to great literature. Because Matsepe's stories were so interesting, they met with general approval almost immediately. This led to a change of direction in Sepedi literature that could to a great degree be attributed to Matsepe's writing. This thesis deals with the influence Matsepe had on other writers. The most important factors determining such an influence are also examined. In this research the avenues of description, comparison and interpretation are expolored. The narratological model was chosen and adapted as a descriptive framework. The emphasis is mainly on the facts used by the authors and the manner in which they were put together. In the latter case this means that not only was the organisation of the information taken into account, but consideration also given to a similarity in the usage of specific word and phrases without reverting to stylistics. In defining the meaning of influence, the concepts of similarity, imitation, translation and plagiarism were also examined and identified. In this context various angles of influence are discussed. The influence of one author on another, influence emanating from literature itself and the influence arising from circumstances were noted. In the research several writers have been named who are said to have been influenced by Matsepe. These conclusions have not been motivated, however. In this study it has therefore been found that these pronouncements were made at random and that influence cannot be considered in all of these cases. On the other hand, a number of authors of the younger generation were discovered who are familiar with Matsepe's work and who are indeed influenced by him. This study has also revealed that Sepedi literature can be divided into two periods. First there was Ramaila period during which people learned to read and write, followed by a second period when readers were no longer interested in dull moral narratives, and thus a new generation of authors emerged. This can be designated as the Matsepe period although it includes writers who have only lately come forward and have not been influenced by Matsepe. The demands of circumstances for a change of direction in Sepedi literature may be ascribed to this. The fact that the second period heralded the growth of this literature is mainly attributed to the satirical nature of many of these works.Thesis (DLitt (African Languages))--University of Pretoria, 2005.African Languagesunrestricte

Dispute resolution methods in South Africa : a case of the Limpopo construction industry

Abstract: The lack of information in the construction industry leads to many disputes during the construction process. Hence this paper investigates the dispute resolution methods used in the Limpopo construction industry. This is with an aim to provide a basis or the understanding of the range of values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour displayed by these different professional groups involved in the construction process. This paper presents the results of the professional respondents on the dispute resolution methods used in the Limpopo construction industry. This article investigates the common dispute resolution methods used in the Limpopo construction industry. The primary data for the study was collected through a structured questionnaire survey distribution to a sample of 51 professionals from the Limpopo construction industry. Findings revealed that negotiating a win/win situation and knowing other professionals by forging good work relationship can minimise dispute occurrence in construction projects. Mediation and negotiation were found to be preferred and used mostly in the construction industry to resolve disputes. This study adds knowledge on mitigation methods of disputes and dispute resolution methods

Molecular sensors for evaluating substandard anti-retroviral medication using surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS, with South Africa housing the largest Anti-retroviral treatment (ART) program in the world. In addition, the continent is troubled by the continuing growth of substandard ART medication which is imported from external continents. The World Health Organization also states that due to the limited information on this issue, adequate remedial measures cannot be put into place. As such, this study proposed the application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a drug screening method for ART. Sensing platforms were synthesized using a combination of metals, crosslinker organic molecules, deposition, and self-assembly methods. The platforms were used for tailored adsorption of three ART medications in their active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) form: Tenofovir (TDF), Lamivudine (LAM) and Dolutegravir (DLG) prior to evaluation with Raman spectroscopy. Molecular interactions, signal enhancement and statistical methods such as linear regression were carried out on the analytes and data from the SERS analysis showed significant differences in the sensing capabilities of the platforms based on the calibration sensitivity, analytical sensitivity, and limit of detection. The molecular composition and chemical functionality of the sensors allowed specific adsorption and preference to the complementary functional groups of the API samples which led to enhanced Raman signals on each platform. From the results obtained, it was concluded that the synthesis of tailored platforms for molecular sensing of ART medication was successful, providing potential application of these sensors in the quality control of anti-retroviral medication. Future work will entail routine molecular screening of ARVs to monitor changes in ART quality with respect to geographical location, shelf life and formulation methods

Environmental influences on sustainability dimensions in the South African construction industry

Abstract: The construction industry contributes significantly to the economic growth of developing countries including South Africa. The industry adds value to the quality of life of its citizen through the provision of necessary infrastructures. Notwithstanding its importance and contributions, the industry has been recognised as one of the largest environmental polluters. Its activities have significant impact on the quality of life of people and the environment. As such, sustainable development was recognised as prominent element for the improvement of quality of life through the maximisation and efficient use of natural resources to address issue related to social, economic and environment. Thus, this paper investigates the environmental sustainability dimensions that can influence the promotion of sustainable construction ideas in the South African construction industry. The participants were selected through non-probability convenience sampling techniques..

The impact of economic growth on the matric pass rate in South Africa

The study provides an econometric analysis of the impact of economic growth on the matric pass rate in South Africa. The model used provincial pass rates from the year 2008 to 2013 as well as the economic growth rates of each province from the same period. A panel data random effects model was used to run the model and produce the results. An extensive literature review was conducted to analyse the pass rate in the Eastern Cape which has been the lowest in South Africa for some years. The results of the model suggest that economic growth in the different provinces has a positive effect on the matric pass rate except for the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The model also produced a low R2 indicating that economic growth does not sufficiently explain the matric pass rate in the different provinces and other factors which were not included in the model are important

Quality characteristics of a functional beverage developed from Moringa oleifera and Aloe vera

Abstract: The lifestyle of most populations has changed over the past few decades. Usually, the lack of time is perceived as the major barrier to practicing healthy habits such as eating healthy food. As a result, there seems to be a greater incidence of chronic or degenerative disorders such as cancer in most countries. In this study, a functional beverage was developed by blending Moringa oleifera and Aloe vera at different proportions (0M: 100A; 30M: 70A; 50M: 50A; 70M: 30A; 100M: 0A, M. oleifera: A. vera, respectively). The nutritional and phytochemical composition of the developed beverages was determined. Further, consumer acceptability and storage stability of the beverage blends were determined. The pH of the beverages ranged from 3.66 - 4.15 with the least and highest pH obtained with 100 % Aloe (100A) and 100 % Moringa (100M) beverages, respectively. The titratable acidity (TA) of the beverages ranged from 0.14 - 0.12 %, while total soluble solids ranged from 0.5-0.8 °Brix. Beverage blends with high Aloe concentration contained high levels of vitamin C possibly due to the high concentration of the vitamin in Aloe. The highest protein content (343.60 μg/ml) was observed with 100M beverage and the least (74.60 μg/ml) with 100A beverage. The concentration of Ca, K, Mg in the beverage blends increased with an increase in the concentration of Moringa. Also, the total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of the beverage blends improved with increase in Moringa concentration and so did the antioxidant activity when determined with DPPH assay. However, the beverage blends showed similar antioxidant activity with ABTS. Consumer acceptability of Moringa-aloe beverage blends was investigated using the 9-point hedonic scale method. The results showed that 100A beverage was the most preferred beverage by the taste panel as it was scored highest for taste (7.08), flavour (6.76) and overall acceptability (7.04). The least preferred beverage was 100M followed by the beverage blend with high Moringa concentration (70M: 30A). With colour, the highest score (6.48) was observed with 70M: 30A beverage blend and all the other beverage blends were scored high for colour compared to control samples. With storage stability, a slight increase in pH accompanied by a decrease in TA occurred on all beverages after 12 weeks. However, most beverage blends still maintained a pH of less than 4.2 at the end of the storage period. There was no microbial growth observed for total aerobic bacteria and yeast and mold after 12 weeks of storage, possibly due to added preservatives and low pH of the products. Overall, the current study confirms that beverage blends with Moringa ii have high nutritional quality and possess health-promoting properties. However, an increase in Moringa concentration impacts negatively on sensory quality. Therefore, the 30M: 70A beverage blend appears to be the best concerning consumer acceptability and storage stability. d 650 0 Beverages. d 650 0 Functional foods. d 650 0 Medicinal plants. d 650 0 Botany, Medical. d 650 0 Moringa oleifera|xTherapeutic use. d 650 0 Aloe vera.M.Sc. (Food Technology

HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses in infected infacts enrolled on a study of early highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) and supervised treatment interruption (STI).

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.The manifestation of HIV-1 infection is different in children and adults. Most of the children who acquire HIV perinatally progress to disease within the first two years of life, while adults can remain asymptomatic for up to ten years. However, a small minority group of children can control the virus for years in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. We characterized CD8+ T cell responses critical for the containment of HIV infection in a cohort of infants HIV infected from birth using IFN- γ ELISPOT, multicolour flow cytometry and viral sequencing of the Gag protein. We investigated whether the age at the time of infection, specificity and functionality of the generated responses, genetic make up and the maternal immune responses to HIV, influenced disease progression in the child. We found that the majority of in-utero infected infants mounted CD8+ T cell responses from the first days of life. In contrast to chronically infected children or adults, the specificity of the initial response in acutely infected infants was directed towards Env and Rev proteins and CD4+ T cell responses were minimal during the first 6 months of life. Slow progression to disease was associated with possession of one of the protective HLA-B alleles by either the mother or the child (P=0.007) and targeting of Gag epitopes presented by the protective HLA-B alleles. Mothers who expressed protective alleles but whose children did not possess these alleles, transmitted less fit viruses that benefited their children. Furthermore, slow progressor children had more polyfunctional CD8+ T cell responses in early infection when compared to rapid progressors (P=0.05). The ability of infants to induce CD8+ T cell responses early in life is encouraging for vaccine interventions. The differences in the specificity of the initial responses between adults and children, insufficient priming of these responses as a result of minimal CD4+ T cell help during infancy and possession of non-protective HLA alleles shared between mother and child, may explain the rapid disease progression generally noted in most infants. However, slow progression to disease in the minority group of children may be attributed to functional capacity of the CD8+ T cells generated by the child, mediation by protective HLA alleles, acquisition of low fitness viruses from the mother or de novo attenuation of the virus by the child’s own immune responses

The DARC-null trait is associated with moderate modulation of NK cell profiles and unaltered cytolytic T cell profiles in black South Africans

The Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC)-null trait, common among persons of African descent and associated with lower absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs), may be linked to increased risk to certain infections including HIV-1 but the underlying causes are poorly understood. We hypothesized that DARC-null-linked neutropenia may negatively impact neutrophil immunoregulatory modulation of other immune cells such as natural killer (NK) and CD8+ T cells leading to altered phenotype, functionality and homeostatic activity of these immune cells. HIV-1 uninfected (n = 20) and HIV-1 chronically infected (n = 19) participants were assessed using multi-parametric flow cytometry to determine NK and CD8+ T cell counts, phenotypic profiles, and cytokine production and degranulation. Annexin V and carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) staining were used to examine NK cell survival and NK cell and CD8+ T cell proliferation respectively. Participants were genotyped for the DARC-null polymorphism using allelic discrimination assays and ANCs were measured by full blood count. In HIV uninfected individuals, a reduction of total NK cell counts was noted in the absence of DARC and this correlated with lower ANCs. HIV uninfected DARC-null subjects displayed a less mature NK cell phenotype. However, this did not translate to differences in NK cell activation or effector functionality by DARC state. Whilst HIV-1 infected subjects displayed NK cell profiling that is typical of HIV infection, no differences were noted upon DARC stratification. Similarly, CD8+ T cells from HIV infected individuals displayed phenotypic and functional modulation that is characteristic of HIV infection, but profiling was unaffected by the DARC-null variant irrespective of HIV status. Overall, the data suggests that the DARC-null polymorphism and lower ANCs does not impede downstream cytolytic cell priming and functionality

Interleukin 1-Beta (IL-1) Production by Innate Cells Following TLR Stimulation Correlates With TB Recurrence in ART-Treated HIV-Infected Patients

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, especially in the context of HIV co-infection, since immunity is not completely restored following antiretroviral therapy (ART). The identification of immune correlates of risk for TB disease could help in the design of host-directed therapies and clinical management. This study aimed to identify innate immune correlates of TB recurrence in HIV+ ART-treated individuals with a history of previous successful TB treatment. METHODS: Twelve participants with a recurrent episode of TB (cases) were matched for age, sex, time on ART, pre-ART CD4 count with 12 participants who did not develop recurrent TB in 60 months of follow-up (controls). Cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells from time points prior to TB recurrence were stimulated with ligands for Toll like receptors (TLR) including TLR-2, TLR-4, and TLR-7/8. Multi-color flow cytometry and intracellular cytokine staining was used to detect IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-12 and IP10 responses from monocytes and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs). RESULTS: Elevated production of IL-1β from monocytes following TLR-2, TLR-4 and TLR-7/8 stimulation was associated with reduced odds of TB recurrence. In contrast, production of IL-1β from both monocytes and mDCs following Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) stimulation was associated with increased odds of TB recurrence (risk of recurrence increased by 30% in monocytes and 42% in mDCs respectively). CONCLUSION: Production of IL-1β by innate immune cells following TLR and BCG stimulations correlated with differential TB recurrence outcomes in ART-treated patients and highlights differences in host response to TB

HIV-1 evades a Gag mutation that abrogates killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor binding and disinhibits natural killer cells in infected individuals with KIR2DL2⁺/HLA-C*03: 04⁺ genotype

HIV–1 sequence variations impact binding of inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) to human leucocyte class I (HLA–I) molecules modulating NK cell function. HIV–1 strains encoding amino acids that mediate binding of inhibitory KIRs might therefore have a selective benefit in individuals expressing the respective KIR/HLA genotypes. Here we demonstrate that HIV–1 clade C avoids a p24 Gag mutation that abolishes binding of KIR2DL2 to HLA–C*03:04 and disinhibits NK cells in individual encoding for this genotype